FARNBOROUGH Airshow CEO Gareth Rogers warned the Government there is a "technical possibility" all flights to and from the UK will be grounded unless Britain secures a deal with the European Union.

British airlines can currently offer services to anywhere they want to within the European Union because of the bloc’s common rules for aviation, also known as the European Common Aviation Area arrangements (ECAA).

Gareth Rogers warned the British Government fears of planes being grounded because of Brexit could become true because of a “possible technicality.”

Asked about the risks of planes being grounded in the event of a “no deal Brexit’, Mr Rogers told Sky News: “There is a technical possibility that could happen in terms of the certification of aircraft.

“if we are outside the EU, you have to have a certain certification to land aircraft in certain countries.”

Britain is also a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which sets the rules of flying safety throughout the EU. A "no deal" Brexit would see the UK abruptly leave the EASA without the guarantee flights could take off or land in Britain.

Mr Rogers welcomed the Government's latest Brexit white paper, saying "it's good news in the perspective that something is being talked about and we are moving forward."

He continued: "It’s been over two years, it’s 37 weeks away from Brexit and aerospace needs an answer.

"Whether they will ever allow that to happen in terms of the organisations and the Governmental bodies that run that, I don’t know.

"It certainly is a possibility but I’m hoping they’ll be able to get to that position before which is a point of just talking."

There is a technical possibility that could happen in terms of the certification of aircrafts

Gareth Rogers

According to the latest data, the British aerospace industry produced £35 billion in turnover and £30 billion in exports during 2017.

The chief executive of the ADS trade body Paul Everitt also warned it would be possible to see all flight grounded should the Government fail to secure a deal on aviation to adopt after Brexit.

Mr Everitt said: "No deal is the worst possible outcome, you need to do the deal. That is the extreme case but it’s not scaremongering to say aircraft will not fly.

"From an industrial point of view, we see the potential for serious disruption and costs which will make all of Europe less competitive."

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) insisted the Government plans to secure the ability for British planes to be able to and from the continent after Brexit.

In a posting discussing the future of aviation after Brexit, the CAA said: “The UK Government does not want or expect a scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without a deal. However, the Government has also publicly said that it has a duty to plan for the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory deal can be reached.

“Under a non-negotiated withdrawal scenario, a number of regulatory processes will need to be brought back within the UK system so that we are able to continue to regulate the UK aviation industry.

“This means that our preparatory work includes adjusting existing systems so that they could continue to work in exactly the same way as now.”

In June 2018 it was revealed Brussels had banned the EASA from discussing contingency plans with the CAA until March 2019 despite industry members warning it would take their companies nine months to create an emergency plan in the event of a no deal.

European diplomats told the Times they were frustrated by the decisions, commenting: "If aircraft are grounded and there’s chaos then people won’t say, ‘Oh, thanks for sticking to the letter of law’. They’ll blame us for allowing things to break down. They’d be right."